The Decade of Healthy Aging in the Americas (2021-2030)
Action Area 3. Deliver person-centered integrated care and primary health services responsive to older people
Health systems need to be prepared to deliver high quality health care for older people that is integrated among providers and settings and one that is linked to the sustainable provision of long-term care. Integrating health and social sectors in a person-centered approach is key to achieve better care for older adults. In addition, the vision of implementing services driven by maintaining and improving the functional ability of older individuals is essential to achieve healthy aging.
Functional ability is defined as the “health-related attributes that enable people to be and to do what they have reason to value,” and consists of the intrinsic capacity of the individual, - the “composite of all the physical and mental capacities that an individual can draw on” - the environment of the individual, and the interactions between them. These definitions are important to point out the relationship between the components of the Decade of Healthy Aging and the relevance of developing intersectoral activities, built upon a life course approach.
In particular, PAHO has developed a virtual course, titled the “International Accreditation of Competencies in Health Care for Older Persons (ACAPEM),” specifically for primary care health professionals. It consists of three progressive levels. This course is divided into three levels, from most minor to most complex: ACAPEM-Basic, ACAPEM-Intermediate, and ACAPEM-Advanced. The primary and intermediate levels are available on PAHO’s Virtual Campus for Public Health.In this section, you will find information on the current population situation and projections throughout the region. This part includes an analysis of the demographic and social situation, as well as its magnitude and economic impact in the different countries.
